Beam support type box structure



Nov.'5, 1957 R. A. MULLER BEAM SUPPORT TYPE BOX STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Shea 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1954 FlGi FIGZ

' INVENTOR. "Fwd. M

Nov. 5, 1957 Filed. Jan. 22, 1954 R. A. MULLER BEAM SUPPORT TYPE BOX STRUCTURE o o l l F is, 4

2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

FIG.7

INVENTOR. WOWQJ. 727M241 2,812,096 BEAM SUPPORT TYPE BOX STRUCTURE Robert A. Muller, New London, N. H., assignorto Atlas Plywood Corporation, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 22, 1954, Serial No. 405,606

1 Claim. (Cl. 217-65) This invention relates to an improved packing case construction' and more particularly to a special enclosure body for use with a pre-palletized productionassembly wherein an article of meohandise is put together whilesecured on a pallet structure. At the point of crating, the enclosure body of the invention is mounted over the entire palletized unit and secured to the pallet structure so that the latter member constitutes an integral part of the packing case.

In crating or packaging certain typesof heavy merchandise, such as electric stoves, for example, it has been found that the general shape and size of a packing case designed to fit around such an article ofmerchandise lends itself to handling with lift'trucks. Especially it is found that a number of cases maybe stacked upon one another, as well as being arranged in tiers in closely compacted relationship.

Difliculty has been experienced in building a suitable packing case in which an adequate degree of stacking strength is achieved without excessively increasing the weight or cost of the containerand also without having projecting cleat edges or other irregularities at theexternal surfaces of such crates so as to impede sliding movement of one case against another in thecourse of stacking operations. 4

It is an object of the invention to improve packing cases and to provide an "enclosure body which can be secured to a pre-palletized unit to comprise an improved shipping container. Another object is to devise a case wherein there is provided aspecial reinforcing frame work for imparting high stacking strength and resistance to vertically directed load forces so that the case will be able to undergo heavy stacking stresses, 'suchias develop :in connection with storing .a number ofxcases zin stacked relationship. Another object of the inventionzis rtoldevise a'special reinforcing frame work in which the component parts are arranged to cooperate with one another and with the panel sections of the box so :as .to..pro.duce :a high degree of strength and stability without unduly .increasing the weight of theshipping case as a whole. Still another objectis to devise a unique frame .work .and covering panel combination which is characterized "by smooth uninterrupted panel surfaceson atleasit threes'lides of the box so that sliding movement. of one against another can be achieved very readily. I

These and other objects and novel "features will'be more fully understood and appreciated frorn the-following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes ofillustration and shown in Fig. 3 is aplan view'ofa.pallettorbase .structure-.with

which may be combinedthe,panelseetionsof thebox;

Fig. 4 is an end elevationuof thepackingcase;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective ,view showingparts of the bottom framework broken away;

Patented Nov. 5, 1957 Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view in partial crosssection of one end of the box; 0

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of a horizontal beam; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of an upper. end of a column member.

'Having in mind thespecific objectives noted above and with due regard for limitations as to weight and surface continuity, I have discovered that I may combine a limited number or frame pieces in a novel manner so that an unusually high degree of stacking strength is achieved and so that minimum weight requirements may be satisfactorily preserved.

Essentially I have devised a jointed frame work and covering panel structure in which four vertical column -members or corner supports are arranged to support four horizontal beam elements and each column member is formed to provide at its upper extremities two bearing surfaces, upon which surfaces abutting ends of horizontal beam elements are received and supported in a novel manner.

,I have further devised a jointed frame work secured in such a manner that all of the external surfaces of the horizontal beam elements lie in common planes with respective'external surfaces of the vertical columns, an arrangement which provides for covering the frame work with panel sections whose edges also lie in common planes with respective exposed surfaces of both the horizontal beam elements and vertical column elements.

Considering these structural features more in detail,

as shown in the accompanying drawing, attention is directed to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, wherein there is illustrated the enclosure body B of the invention in plan view and side elevation in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively. In Fig. 3 there is illustrated a palleti zed structure P of the type commonly employed in assembling articles of merchandise, such as electric stoves, for example.

The pallet structure includes base cleats 2 and 4 of wood or other suitable material, upon which cleats are secured-transverse cleats 6 and 8. This arrangement proyides for the cleats .6 and 8 being spaced away from a floor or other supporting surface and thus aflords room for the fork elements of a lift truck to be engaged thereunder.

The principal parts of the enclosure body B include .t-heyspecial jointed frame work already referred to, and a plurality of covering sections, including a top panel section .10, two sidepanel sections 12 and 14, and two end panelgsections 16, as may be more clearly seen from an inspection of Figs. 4, 5 and 6.

and other substances.

Thespecial framework I have devised for supporting .the panel sections andfor positioning and securing them .to ,the pallet structure P is made up of four vertical colnmn membere-two ofw hich have been clearly shown in Eigs...4 and 5 anddenoted by the numerals 20 and .22; ,and four horizontal beam elements, as 24, :26, 28

.ln accordance with the invention I form the upper extremities of each ofthe column membersfwith a rab- ,b.e ted portion which is defined by a horizontalbearing s,urface 32and a vertical bearingsurface 34. The. hori- Zjontal bearing surface 32 extends in one direction throughout; a distance corresponding to the thickness of .the bottom element 24, as shown in Fig. 4.

I also form each of the column elements with a bevelled surface 36 which extends upwardly to intersect the verti cal surface 34, as illustrated in Fig. 5, and thus there is provided an inclined bearing area which terminates along a line well below the top of the adjacent beam element 24.

Such an arrangement makes possible a compound mitered and butt joint of very desirable character from the standpoint of developing high stacking strength. To take advantage of this support structure I form two end beams with complementary bevelled surfaces 38 and intersecting square cut surfaces 40, in the manner indicated in Fig. 7.

As will be observed from an inspection of Fig. 4, the

square cut surfaces 40 are of a size such that they snugly fit against adjacent surfaces of the side beams without extending above these members.

By means of the special mitered and butt joint construction described I find that I am enabled to obtain a very high stacking strength indeed in this shipping con tainer. This high stacking strength is, in part, realized from the fact that each of the horizontal side beam members, as 24 and 26, are supported between pairs of column members.

At the same time the horizontal end beams are ,supported on the two pairs of columns occurring at either end of the box by means of the bevelled surfaces, such There is achieved in this way a double supporting action in which each column supports both a side beam and an end beam, and neither beam element is allowed to project beyond the other.

An important feature of this structure is the arrangement of the beam elements in a compacted relationship and in recessed relationship with respect to the columns so that a flush arrangement of the panel sections may be carried out. That is, the edges of both the side panels 14 and 16, as well as the top panel section 16 may all be arranged to occur so that they fall in a common plane with the plane of the surfaces of the columns and end beams at points where these members are exposed.

It will be appreciated from an inspection of Fig. 4 that the two side panel sections when abutted against the columns and side beam elements 24, for example, may also exert a strong column supporting action with respect to the top panel section 10 which overlaps these side panels. Similarly, the end panel sections, as 16, are locked between the column members 20 and 22 on one side and the base cleat member 8 on the other side at the bottom of the box and at the top of the box by the adjacent surface of the side beams 24. It will be observed also that the end panel sections 16 are notched out at their upper corner sections to receive the side beams, as 24, thereon, and thus the panel sections 16 also exert a strong supporting action with respect to the side beam members 24.

The stacking strength of shipping casesconstructed with the particular frame work and panel section assembly described have been extensively tested one. machine of the so-called compression type using a heavy metal compression beam which is resiliently forced downwardly against the top of a packing case solidly supported below the beam. In a series of tests to which boxes of the invention were subjected, it was found that in a size suitable for containing an electric range, for example, the boxes withstood failure and breaking up to loads of as highas from 6,000 to 8,000 pounds. In comparison with this, standard types of packing cases were tested and found to break at pressures of as low as 700 or. 800 pounds, running up to perhaps 1,000 or 2,000'pounds.

In assembling the box of the invention several different methods may be employed. Ordinarily the beamsiand column members, together with the panel sections, may be separately assembled and secured together to form an enclosure body open on one side only. This en- 1 ture. In other cases the end panel sections may be separately combined with two column members and respective end beam elements, and the assembly thus produced may be fastened on a pallet structure and the remaining beams and panels mounted thereon. If desired, however, the end panel sections 16 may be located on the pallet 4 and stapled directly to the bottom cleats 8. Thereafter the column members 20 and 22 can be secured externally of the panel sections 16 and the end beam element 28 placed in position, and, finally, the two side beam elements 24 can be brought into position on the recessed surfaces 32 and the frame work may then be nailed or stapled together. As soon as the complete frame work has been assembled the two side panel sections 12 and 14 may be secured along either side of the frame work in the manner shown in Fig. 4 and, finally, the top panel section 10 is located in overlapping relationship with respect to these side panel sections.

It is pointed out that the several parts of my packing case may be very conveniently secured together by using either hand stapling machines or larger automatic machines, or by ordinary nailing methods. The end beams, as well as the cleats 8, provide transversely disposed bearing means at both the top and bottom of the case against which the stapling heads may bear in driving fastenings through opposite sides of the panel sections, and particularly into the side beam elements, such as 24 and 26. All of this is accomplished without there occurring any break in the continuity of the sides of the packing case .or the top of the packing case and while the end panels 16 actually occur in recessed relationship with respect to the columns and beam elements, it should be realized that the edges of the panel sections very definitely are .caused to lie in a common plane with the exposed surfaces of these columns and beam members. The net result of this flush arrangement is to provide packing cases hav ing surfaces which are convenient to slide, one upon another, and the pallet base of one case may very conveniently be placed upon the top panel section of another case to facilitate stacking and there is no opportunity for jamming or interference to occur, particularly in stacking operations which are to be carried out by means of lifting trucks. Similarly, cases in adjacent stacks can be stored very compactly and there is nothing to impede sliding movement of one case against another case.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

In a beam support type box including a base formed by a pair of transversely spaced longitudinally extending base members having their upper and lower faces lying in common planes, and frame members including spaced uprights of less width than the base members, and an upper connecting member between each pair of spaced uprights, the upright members having their bottoms supported at the ends of said longitudinally extending base members with their outer faces flush with the outer edges of said base members and their upper ends formed with outwardly facing recesses defined by horizontal wall portions and vertical wall portions, the vertical wall portions being generally medial of the uprights, beveled faces extending outwardly from the inner walls of the uprights to provide inwardly facing beveled walls, said transverse connecting members having associated beveled lower faces at their outer extremities supported upon the inner beveled faces of the uprights and vertical end wall portions vertically aligned with the vertical walls of the outwardly facing notches of the uprights, panels for said end wall frames. having their upper outer corners notched to conform to the laterally facing notches of the end framing, a longitudinally extending upper connecting member for each side of said frames of generally recoverlying the end and side frames and outer walls and tangular cross section and having dimensions for permitsecured thereto. ting their lower faces to seat in the bottom wall of said notches and their inner side faces to extend across the References Cited in the file of this patent vertical wall defined by the upper ends of the uprights 5 and the outer ends of the connecting member, side panels UNITED STATES PATENTS overlying the end frames and the longitudinal upper 957,395 Walter May 10, 1910 frames and the base members and providing plate girders 1,077,624 Meade Nov. 4, 1913 for increasing the strength of the frame and simultane- 1,704,118 Babcock Mar. 5, 1929 ously closures for the side walls, and a top plate member 10 2,533,663 Byers Dec. 12, 1950 

